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Should animals be used for research
Should animals be used for research
Benefits of animal testing
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Vaccines against polio, hepatitis, and mumps have been made, thanks to the work used in animal test research. Over the world, debates have been created wondering if animal testing should be prohibited, but when we face the facts we find that this research has numerous benefits that should not be left to perish. Colossal discoveries have been made in the medical field to fight against the horrific diseases that have been created. Animal testing research needs to be continued for the benefits of humans as well as animals. According to the American Medical Association, 99 percent of all (active) physicians believe that animal research lead to medical advancements, and 97 percent support using animals for
Without animal research, cures for such diseases as typhoid, diphtheria, and polio might never have existed. Without animal research, the development of antibiotics and insulin would have been delayed. Without animal research, many human beings would now be dead. However, because of animal testing, 200,000 dogs, 50,000 cats, 60,000 primates, 1.5 million hamsters, and uncounted millions of rats and mice are experimented upon and die each year, as living fodder for the great human scientific machine. Some would say that animal research is an integral part of progress; unfortunately, this is often true. On the whole, animal testing is a necessary evil that should be reduced and eliminated whenever possible.
Albert Sabin, the developer of the polio vaccine once said, “Without animal research, polio would still be claiming thousands of lives each year.” Polio is a deadly disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person. This infectious disease renders the brain and spinal cord helpless while also ensuring a permanent case of paralysis to the victim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “…13,000 to 20,000 para-lytic cases were reported annually,” before the 18th century. After the introduction of the polio vaccine, “…a total of 2,525 paralytic cases were reported, compared with 61 in 1965.” This dramatic decrease in the prominence of the polio disease can only be attributed to the success of animal testing. Animal experimentation is used in the research of genetics, drug testing, biology, toxicity testing, cosmetic testing, and many other fields. Despite all of its beneficial traits, animal testing has been wildly controversial over the past decades because of its perceived unethical treatment towards animals. Although animal testing may be deemed unethical by many, it is a form of medical testing that has not only saved lives but has also greatly revolutionized the medical world.
So it’s understandable when people like Peggy Carlson say that animal testing is wrong and that we should not use it. In her article Carlson says, “In the case of the polio vaccine, misleading animal experiments detoured scientists away from reliable clinical studies thereby, according to Dr. Sabin himself, delay the initial work on polio prevention” (Page 160) Something that Carlson has to understand is that animal testing is not the perfect solution, but it is required. There will be mistakes but it is the right course of action.
Throughout every human’s life in the United States, there will portably come a time when they take a trip to an aquarium or zoo. Do not get me wrong; it is incredible to see all those beautiful creatures up close and personal, but most people do not realize what actually is going on. Typically, when the day is spent at the zoo or aquarium, the day usually follows a schedule like this: You spend the day roaming the grounds, moving from habitat to habitat, break for lunch, and then once you’ve seen everything you want to see you return home and are free to do whatever you want to do. The harsh reality of these places is that while it is cool to spend the day there, you would never want to spend your entire life there. The animals are taken from
Why do we have to use animals for research? Many humans and animals get the same illnesses because animals are biologically similar to humans. Animals have a shorter life cycle than humans and as a result, they can be studied throughout their whole life span or across several generations. According to information from the Office of Technology Assessment, it is estimated that between 17 and 23 million animals are used in research each year. Approximately 95% of these animals are rats and mice specifically bred for research and 4.25% of these animals include rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, fish, frogs, insects, and other species. Most importantly, only 0.75% of the animals in research are cats, dogs, and primates. Major medical advances have been made because of the research of these animals. (Animal Research 2013)
Historically, the use of animals for experimental purposes dates back to early Greek physician-scientists. Aristotle and Galen both conducted experiments on animals in an effort to contribute to our understanding of science and medicine.1 Claude Bernard later established animal experimentation as part of the scientific method. Known as the father of physiology, Bernard stated that “experiments on animals are entirely conclusive for the toxicology and hygiene of man. The effects of these substances are the same on man as on animals, save for differences in degree.”1 Bernard’s work strongly influenced the use of animals in biomedical research, which has become a common, and often required, practice today. The American Medical Association (AMA)...
Animal testing was started in the 1800’s for creating vaccines for children, the animals they started testing on were monkeys, mice, and guinea pigs. Based off Charles Darwin’s idea that humans are closely linked to primates we based the idea that animal testing would benefit us. (Animal Testing) Animal testing has caused pain and relief alike. On one hand innocent animals are dying on the other we are creating vaccines to save animals and humans alike.
The ethics behind using animals for experiments and tests has been questioned and debated for years. Many people believe that animal experimentations can be crucial towards medical breakthroughs such as the cure for cancer, HIV/AIDS or asthma. Meanwhile others argue that animals that are used to test cosmetics such as make-up and perfumes are inhuman because is not going to help improve the human race. Animals suffer through multiple types of torture such as being forced to ingest poisonous chemicals, blinded, burned, stapled, and infected with disease viruses. Even though animal experimentation may be considered inhumane to many, animal experimentation is crucial to advancements in medical research and can lead to a better quality of life; on the other hand, animal experimentation should not be used to develop cosmetics because such experimentation is cruel and unnecessary.
Animal testing has been used for developing and researching cures for medical conditions. For example, the polio vaccine, chemotherapy for cancer, insulin treatment for diabetes, organ transplants and blood transfusions are just some of the important advances that have come from research on animals (“Animal Testing”). Consuming animals for research benefits in developing various treatments and also benefits in discovery better methods for cures. According to the article “Animal Testing”, it says that the underlying rationale for the use of animal testing is that living organisms provide interactive, dynamic systems that scientists can observe and manipulate in order to understand normal and pathological functioning as well as the effectiveness of medical interventions. It relies on the physiological and anatomical similarities between humans and other animals (MacClellan, Joel). Meaning that animals have the same body components and features as humans and is the best thing to research on to better understand the human development. Even though several argue that animal testing is harming the animals, one has to think back to all the benefits that has come from it. There may be a little remorse for endangering animal lives, but realizing how far medicine has come makes it worth the while.
The entire human race benefits from animal research. “Without animal research, medical science would come to a total standstill”(O’Neil 210). It is not as if scientists and researchers just sit in their labs all day and torture animals for fun. Not to mention animal use is being reduced as much as possible, “most scientists are glad to use alternative tests because they are usually faster and cheaper than tests on animals”(Yount 72). However, “you cannot study kidney transplantation or diarrhea or high blood pressure on a computer screen”(O’Neil 212).
Research on animals is a vital process to stem cell research and other research in medicine. Animals can be used by scientist for research as long as it does not harm or kill an animal. Over the years animals have been experimented on for research and have contributed greatly to medicine. However, if animals are continuously killed for trial and error than that suggests animal cruelty.
Imagine being killed by awful people who are controlling your life and won't let you live a natural life in the wild, but instead make you live in a small little cage. And don't go correcting it to a domain! It's a cage. A trap. An awful place to live.
Millions of animals are used to test consumer products, but they also become victims to experiments for medical research. In The Ethics of Animal Research (2007) both authors state that there have been many medical advances with the development of medicines and treatments as a result of research conducted on animals (para 1). These medical i...
However, as people think about animal rights, and the news that animals are suffering in the experiment, people began to consider stopping all animal testing. Animal testing should not be banned, because it both benefits humans and animals, especially the medical animal testing should be reserved. According to the book “Science, Medicine, and Animals” by the Committee on the Use of Animals in Research, National Academy of Sciences (1991), the animals also provide protection to a lot of endangered animals. Scientists can invent medicine, which is used to treat animal diseases, from animal experiments.
Using animal testing we are able to figure out if a product or vaccine is safe for people to use. If it was not for the animals the only way we would be able to tell if it was safe would be to test it on ourselves. Not many people would want to try out a new drug that could cure a disease because of the side effects or even possible death from it and that is where animal testing comes in. Scientists do not make animals just take the pain if they think it will be painful for them. They will give the animal painkillers to relieve the pain if it is evolved. Scientists will also test it on another alternative if possible before testing it on the